Consumer Reports believes Apple's offer of free cases is a good first step. However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30th, and has not extended it unequivocally to customers who bought cases from third-party vendors. We look forward to a long-term fix from Apple. As things currently stand, the iPhone 4 is still not one of our Recommended models.

Wait... what? Let's back up. Consumer Reports has confirmed that Apple's bumper does indeed alleviate the iPhone 4's signal-loss problem. They also stated that they would recommend the iPhone 4 once Apple provided a free solution to the signal-loss problem. This is exactly what Apple has done, yet Consumer Reports will not give their recommendation. Yes, Apple's solution is only in effect until September 30th, at which point they will "reevaluate" the issue and perhaps "have a better idea," but why not recommend the iPhone 4 until that date? It seems rather contradictory.

What do you think? Is Consumer Reports being inconsistent, or is their lack of recommendation justified? Sound off in the comments below!